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The superhero team-up is set for May 6, 2016 as a Peter Pan movie takes the previous July 2015 release date.

Superman and Batman are going to have to wait a little longer to team up.

Warner Bros. announced Friday that the Man of Steel follow-up will hit theaters May 6, 2016, nine months later than its previous July 17, 2015 release date. That date will now be reserved for a Peter Pan movie directed by Joe Wright.

The move sets up a potential Warner Bros/DC showdown with rival Disney/Marvel, which also has set an untitled Marvel move for that date. Marvel has had huge success with releasing big-budget tentpoles in early May. Iron Man 3 became the second biggest-grossing film of 2013 after an early May release. In 2012, The Avengers became the third-biggest grossing film of all time after an early May release.

The early May berth has been associated with Marvel since Columbia released Spider-Man in 2002. X2, the X-Men sequel from Fox, followed the following year. Marvel has released all of its Iron Man movies in that time frame as well as Thor. In fact, a Marvel-based movie has come out each May since 2006.

Additionally, that weekend is so connected to a comic book movie that retailers in North America organize a yearly Free Comic Book Day on the Saturday.

Warners is now aiming for its share of the early May box office. The studio is also pushing production on the movie to the second quarter; it was initially slated to begin shooting this winter.

“We are happy to take advantage of these coveted summer dates, which are perfect for two of our biggest tentpole releases,” Warner Bros. president of domestic distribution Dan Fellman said in a statement. “We share the fans’ excitement to see DC Comics’ most popular figures, Superman and Batman, together on the big screen for the first time, which will now be arriving in theatres in May 2016. Peter Pan has delighted people of every generation for more than a century, so we are thrilled to bring him back to the screen next summer for today’s moviegoers.”

Batman-Superman is the high-profile follow-up to last summer’s Man of Steel, which grossed $668 million worldwide and rebooted the Superman franchise for Warner Bros.

The follow-up movie, which also will feature the Caped Crusader, is in casting mode and has lined up Ben Affleck as Batman and Gal Gadot as Wonder Woman in addition to Henry Cavill, who is reprising his role as Superman.

Jason Momoa is in negotiations for a role as well.

Zack Snyder is directing the movie, which is now undergoing a rewrite by Chris Terrio, the Oscar-winning scribe who penned Argo. David Goyer wrote the initial draft.

“We know that there is already great anticipation building for the next super hero film from Zack Snyder, and we are equally eager to see what he has in store for Superman and Batman as they share the big screen for the first time ever,” Warners president of international distribution Veronika Kwan Vandenberg added in a statement. “The summer release corridor is also perfect for Joe Wright’s ambitious new Peter Pan adventure, reimagining the ageless story of the beloved and forever-young hero for audiences worldwide.”

Pan, meanwhile, is a Peter Pan origin story written by Jason Fuchs that will star Hugh Jackman as the pirate Blackbeard and tell the formative years of Pan and the young man who becomes Captain Hook. The movie will shoot in late spring/early summer.

Yesterday’s “casting announcement” for Star Wars: Episode VII shouldn’t come as any shock to those who’ve keeping track of every single bread crumb that director J.J. Abrams – along with Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy – has dropped for fans to snack on, in lieu of a proper meal (read: human casting news).

Nevertheless, Disney/Lucasfilm has deemed the news that plucky astromech droid R2-D2 will appear in Episode VII to be worthy of an official confirmation announcement, what with the robotic character – alongside his golden counterpart C-3PO (Anthony Daniels) – being one of the rare citizens of a galaxy far, far away to have shown up in all six of the previous live-action Star Wars movies (with Kenny Baker behind the wheel… er, under the dome, rather).

What’s far more interesting than this “reveal” is the story of the two gentlemen who have produced a fully-functioning R2 unit for Abrams’ film. The creative and talented men in question are Oliver Steeples and Lee Towersey, a pair of longtime Star Wars fanatics and members of the global R2-D2 Builders Club (Star Wars fans of the world unite!). Both of these fellows were featured in the first official Episode VII pre-production image that dropped online last week, along with Abrams, Kennedy and R2 himself at the Bad Robot studio’s workshop (appropriately enough).

Here is the official story of how Steeples and Towersey became official members of the Creature Effects team for Episode VII:

“It all started when Kathleen Kennedy toured the R2-D2 Builders area at Celebration Europe this past summer in Germany,” says Steeples, who finished his first R2-D2 in 2007, after 10 years of collecting parts and researching. “She posed for pictures with us, looked at all the droids we’d built and was very complimentary. I mentioned that the R2-D2 Builders in the UK were available if required, as a semi-joke. When I was contacted to work on the film by [executive producer] Jason McGatlin, it was on her recommendation.”

Steeples, from Berkshire, England, and Towersey, from Middlesex, England, are working full-time on Star Wars: Episode VII at Pinewood Studios (where the Twitter photo was taken), focusing solely on astromech-building — for now. Keeping an astromech droid in working condition throughout the production of a film is a challenge, as it’s filled with gears, lights, and electronics; Steeples and Towersey were chosen because of their expertise and experience, both having worked on Star Wars­-themed commercials for the UK appliances megastore Curry’s. “We know the pressures of filming, prepping, and being able to assure reliability throughout the shoot,” says Towersey, who built the droid seen in the tweet. “We have a good knowledge of Artoo, with a large stock of parts for reference and drawings, plus we know what is involved throughout the whole building process, as well as potential problems we need to avoid.” Despite their impressive understanding of how to construct an astromech droid and keep it functioning, Steeples and Towersey still have a goal for Star Wars: Episode VII: to build a better R2-D2.

You have to give Kennedy and the other Episode VII producers credit, they have put together an impressive crew of craftsmen and filmmakers who grew up loving George Lucas’ space opera. That includes self-admitted Star Wars lover Abrams – whose visual approach on the rebooted Star Trek franchise reflects that influence – and co-screenwriter Michael Arndt (Toy Story 3). Of course, Abrams is also collaborating on the Episode VII script now with a celebrated alum of the franchise, in the form of The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi scribe Lawrence Kasdan.

Does this guarantee that Episode VII will have the same wondrous spirit that made the original Star Wars movie a delightful celebration of genre, more than thirty years ago (or even the dramatic complexity of later installments)? No, but so far it’s reason enough for us (or me, at the least) to stay optimistic about the future of this series.

The “Star Trek” filmmaker will work with writer Michael Arndt to develop the script.

JJ Abrams has officially signed on to direct the next installment of the Star Wars franchise.

Disney has closed a deal with the filmmaker to come aboard Episode VII of the sci-fi series, confirming reports from Thursday that the Star Trek and Mission Impossible III director was negotiating for the job.

Landing Abrams for the high-profile gig is a coup for Disney and Lucasfilm’s new chief Kathleen Kennedy.

“It’s very exciting to have J.J. aboard leading the charge as we set off to make a new Star Wars movie,” said Kennedy. “J.J. is the perfect director to helm this. Beyond having such great instincts as a filmmaker, he has an intuitive understanding of this franchise. He understands the essence of the Star Wars experience, and will bring that talent to create an unforgettable motion picture.”

Abrams said in November that he wasn’t interested in taking over the venerable franchise from creator George Lucas. But sources tell THR that Kennedy contacted Abrams in early January and went to visit the filmmaker at the Santa Monica offices of his Bad Robot production company. Kennedy is said to have won over the filmmaker with her pitch. She will now develop the property with Abrams and writer Michael Arndt, who has been writing the script since October.

Episode VII is set for release in 2015, but sources say Abrams has not committed to that release date, meaning the date could be changed if the development process requires it.

Abrams has a lot on his plate. His Star Trek Into Darkness is set for release in May, and sources say he is committed to producing for Paramount the next installments of the Mission Impossible and Star Trek franchises, among others. He’s also a prolific TV producer with several pilots in contention for the fall season.

Jay Company Comics returns to Phoenix to produce the newest installment, the 2013 Amazing Arizona Comic Con. With a fantastic debut show in 2011, promoters Jimmy and Bill Jay built on the strong attendance, a dynamic guest line-up, and industry buzz to double the size of the in 2012. With this year’s event expanding to 3 days, and move to a larger facility at the Phoenix Convention Center, Amazing Comic Con has quickly become the premiere destination for comic books and pop culture in the Southwest.

Jay Company Comics is a family run and operated comic book retail organization that focuses on the hottest collectibles in the market. Jay Company was founded by brothers, Bill and Jimmy S. Jay, in the spring of 1996, as they established an extensive mail order company and quickly became the #1 largest convention dealership in the nation. For nearly 18 years, you can visit our family at the multiple Jay Company booth locations at the San Diego Comic Con International, Wondercon, C2E2 Chicago, many of the Wizard Worlds, and other regional shows throughout the country.

Jay Company also produces the finest specialty comics for the modern age, with exclusive covers and other special editions. Studios and publishers that continue to work with Jay Company include Marvel Comics, Aspen Entertainment, Top Cow Productions, Zenescope, Udon Studios, Basement Comics, Big Dog Ink, Devil’s Due, and Arcade Comics. Jay Company has also forged working relationships with a virtual A-list of comic artists from companies such as Marvel, DC, Image Comics, and more.

Over the last two decades, JayCompanyComics.com have been employed as publishing consults for 12 Gates Productions, Avalon Press, Awesome Entertainment and Stan Winston Studios. Over two dozen titles were published by its subsidiary, ARCADE COMICS, this last decade. In 2010, JayCompanyComics.com made the next logical progression from exhibiting, retailing, consulting, and publishing to convention promoting with the AMAZING ARIZONA COMIC CON and the 20th Anniversary IMAGE COMIC EXPO. With a strong track record of successful comic events taking place in the last three seasons, partner Jimmy Jay looks to continue to expand Amazing Comic Conventions in the near future. Look for more announcements coming soon.